Neo Kobe Pizza

On the thirty first episode of Neo Kobe Pizza, we sit down to discuss the science, such as it is, in the Parasite Eve franchise. Specifically, we discuss how mitochondria ACTUALLY works, the various concepts the book and games get right and (more often) wrong, whether or not it's reasonably possible for mitochondria to cause self-immolation, and why The Third Birthday is awful for reasons wholly unrelated to its mitochondrial time travel. Hosted by Mark B Writing, featuring Zeke R. (Originally recorded 08/21/17)

On the thirtieth episode of Neo Kobe Pizza, we discuss the history of MMORPGs, from their origins to their present incarnations. We discuss their roots in the MUD community, their highs in Everquest and World of Warcraft, and the long-term shift to freemium content, by choice or by market requirements. Hosted by Mark B Writing, featuring XG Janyice. (Originally recorded 08/15/2017)

On the twenty ninth episode of Neo Kobe Pizza, we discuss the observable trend we've seen of games slowly becoming more film-like in their presentation, while films are slowly borrowing more and more elements from games. We discuss the inherent negative effects of this trend, several examples of each, and a whole lot of tangentially related concepts that matter only to us. Hosted by Mark B Writing, featuring ML Kennedy. (Originally recorded 06/07/2017)

On the twenty eighth episode of Neo Kobe Pizza, we discuss the evolution of gaming criticism, from its roots to the modern day and beyond. We discuss the history of game review as a whole, the expansion of game criticism as an artform, and why objective reviews are still silly (though we don't discuss why my microphone has feedback, apparently). Hosted by Mark B Writing, featuring Hamish Black. (Originally recorded 06/03/2017)

On the twenty seventh episode of Neo Kobe Pizza, we discuss Persona 5 and spoil the heck out of it as we discuss our opinions. We discuss what worked, what didn't, elements that confused or delighted us, and how interesting it is that Persona finally got on the quasi-Biblical train. Hosted by Mark B Writing, featuring Aaron Sirois. (Originally recorded 06/09/2017)

On the twenty sixth episode of Neo Kobe Pizza, we discuss Persona 5, post completion, as a callback to the first episode. We also discuss what worked, what didn't, how well the final experience landed, and which characters make us sad that they exist. Hosted by Mark B Writing, featuring Aaron Sirois. (Originally recorded 05/26/2017)

On the twenty fifth episode of Neo Kobe Pizza, we discuss the touchy subject of fandoms and when being a fan goes too far. We discuss specific examples of fans crossing the line, how fandoms can become insular to the detriment of their fanbase, and Kung Pow. Hosted by Mark B Writing, featuring Nico Blakely. (Originally recorded 03/21/2017)

On the twenty fourth episode of Neo Kobe Pizza, we discuss the evolution of the adventure game genre over the years, from its highs in the 90's to the current market, and everything in between. We also discuss the evolutionary offshoots from adventure games such as visual novels and "walking simulators," the current state of the market, and why Clementine is a jerk. Hosted by Mark B Writing, featuring Alex Lucard. (Originally recorded 11/23/2016)

On the twenty third episode of Neo Kobe Pizza, we return after a five month hiatus to discuss the importance of context in gaming, in light of PewDiePie's assertions that context is important. We ruminate on the potential failing points of context, how developers can accidentally (and purposefully) fail to account for offense, and the extent to which gaming should (or shouldn't) attempt to address some concepts. Hosted by Mark B Writing, featuring Matt Yaeger. (Originally recorded 03/07/2017)

On the twenty second episode of Neo Kobe Pizza, we sit down to discuss the historical context of gaming narratives and how games learn lessons from historical evolution, not all of them good. We ruminate on how characters and franchises evolve relative to the popular storylines in fiction of their time, how games learn lessons from fiction over time, and some of the less positive lessons gaming narratives have incorporated into their own narratives along the way. Hosted by Mark B Writing, featuring Paul Wang. (Originally recorded 12/01/16)

On the twenty-first episode of Neo Kobe Pizza, we're without a guest, as the focus is on decomposing the first twenty episodes and discussing current events and updates. We also address what goes into making the podcast what it is, dumb things that have happened to your host because video games, and how grateful we are to all of you out there listening. (Originally recorded 11/29/16)

*SPOILER WARNING FOR PERSONA 4* On the twentieth episode of Neo Kobe Pizza, we sit down to discuss the sudden and, at the time, surprising success of Persona 4 relative to its predecessors in the Shin Megami Tensei series, and how this came to pass. We discuss the ways Persona 4 brought new players into the fold, how prior games in the SMT franchise varied in their presentation compared to P4, how Persona 5 looks to be continuing this trend, and lots of random asides on our favorite moments. Hosted by Mark B Writing, featuring Nick Tricome. (Originally recorded 11/23/16)

On the nineteenth episode of Neo Kobe Pizza, we sit down to discuss the other side of music oriented gaming by discussing the history of the rhythm game genre. We discuss the origins of the genre, its many rises and falls over the years, the current state of the genre, and Metallica's Death Magnetic has a weird looking album cover. Hosted by Mark B Writing, featuring Joe Tran. (Originally recorded 11/16/16)

On the eighteenth episode of Neo Kobe Pizza, we sit down once again to discuss musicals, and more specifically, the idea of musicals existing within the medium of video games. In the second part of this discussion, we aim towards gaming musicals and why they're in the vast, vast minority of releases, the overall history of gaming musicals that have been released, the general failures of prior games, and the long term hopes we have for where the genre can go from here. Hosted by Mark B Writing, featuring Alex Lucard. (Originally recorded 10/20/16)

On the seventeenth episode of Neo Kobe Pizza, we sit down to discuss musicals, and more specifically, the idea of musicals existing within the medium of video games. In the first part of this discussion, we discuss some of the core language surrounding describing the mechanics of musicals, the differences between how film, theater and musicals convey their messages and concepts, and how video games exist in a position where they can accommodate the absurdity of musicals in a way that makes them almost ideal for the genre... which is so rarely represented in the format. Hosted by Mark B Writing, featuring Lola Mendoza. (Originally recorded 07/18/16)

On the sixteenth episode of Neo Kobe Pizza, we sit down to discuss the concept of morality in video games, and how games tend to handle this concept from a narrative and mechanical perspective. We discuss the methods games use to deal with morality, how games are often unsuccessful at getting this concept across, and how games could strive to improve this handling or have already (in some cases) shown that it is possible to provide strong moral undertones in a game universe. Hosted by Mark B Writing, featuring Jack Quiches. (Originally recorded 10/17/16)

On the fifteenth episode of Neo Kobe Pizza, we interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to discuss the announcement of the newly named Nintendo Switch (formerly the NX), as well as its initial announcement trailer. We also discuss the known facts, rumors and speculations, as well as the likely positives and negatives of the upcoming device, and the public response being surprisingly similar to that of No Man's Sky. Hosted by Mark B Writing, featuring Aaron Sirois. (Originally recorded 10/21/16)

On the fourteenth episode of Neo Kobe Pizza, we discuss the concept of Information Security and how it relates to video gaming and its players. We also discuss how gamers are unlikely to utilize security tools when playing, security events over the past few years, and how you're basically screwed for a lot of reasons when it comes to how companies are required to protect your data. Hosted by Mark B Writing, featuring Joshua Moore. (Originally recorded 10/07/16)

On the thirteenth episode of Neo Kobe Pizza, we discuss the concept of Localization and whether localized games or directly translated games are a better option in the majority of cases. We also discuss the concept of cutting content from games, how localization and content cutting have evolved over the ages, and why the original Persona is an important (if not good) game in this discussion. Hosted by Mark B Writing, featuring Sean Madson. (Originally recorded 10/01/16)

On the twelfth episode of Neo Kobe Pizza, we discuss the concept of Objective Video Game Reviews and whether such things are actually feasible or useful. We also discuss the various possible metrics one could use to attempt to create objective reviews, real world examples (and their relevant successes and failures) and how likely it is that Mad Max would objectively be "better" than an average score. Hosted by Mark B Writing, featuring Crystal Steltenpohl. (Originally recorded 09/14/16)

On the eleventh episode of Neo Kobe Pizza, we discuss Day One Patches, using No Man's Sky as a jumping off point to discuss the practice and its ramifications. We also discuss Rami Ismail's "Patch the Process" article, the difference between patching for value and pushing broken games out the door on purpose, and why the process is broken and might stay that way. Hosted by Mark B Writing, featuring The Gamer Keith. (Originally recorded 08/24/16)

On the tenth episode of Neo Kobe Pizza, we jump into the second part of a two-part discussion on the science of Mass Effect. The second part deals with the negative aspects of how Mass Effect handles its science, including its discussions on biotics, viral mutations and some aspects of the Mass Effect Drive itself. There are also some additional positive highlights to discuss, conversations on how to fix some of the more concerning aspects of the science, and ruminations on Zack Ryder. Hosted by Mark B Writing, featuring Zeke R. (Originally recorded 08/26/16)

On the ninth episode of Neo Kobe Pizza, we jump into the first part of a two-part discussion on the science of Mass Effect. The first part deals with the positive aspects of how Mass Effect handles its science, including its discussions on FTL travel and physics in general. We also discuss the general plot framework of Mass Effect, some aspects of the upcoming Mass Effect Andromeda, and how Spaceballs got sudden stops in FTL travel horribly wrong. Hosted by Mark B Writing, featuring Zeke R. (Originally recorded 08/26/16)

On the eighth episode of Neo Kobe Pizza, we talk about the recent expansion of competitive online, E-Sports ready games in the PC and console marketplaces, and whether the current expansion of such games is ultimately sustainable or if the flood may damage the market long-term. We also touch on a good amount of Blizzard's business history, MOBA and Overwatch structures, and why the host is occasionally an idiot. Hosted by Mark B Writing, featuring Greg Johnson. (Originally recorded 08/19/16)

On the seventh episode of Neo Kobe Pizza, we talk about the history of Sega JRPGs, from Phantasy Star to Valkyria Chronicles and most everything in between, as well as Sega's failings to convince the Western marketplace to invest in their games to the extent of Square or Enix's endeavors. We also go through events during the various console generations, corporate issues behind the scenes, and rival games on rival consoles that drew more attention. Hosted by Mark B Writing, featuring Robert Hubbs. (Originally recorded 08/17/16)

On the sixth episode of Neo Kobe Pizza, we talk about the idea of taking the framework of Pokemon GO and applying the Ghostbusters franchise to the game. This includes discussions on the franchises and our exposure to them, the core and expanded ideas of how to handle such a game, and a WHOLE LOT of digression into related topics. Hosted by Mark B Writing, featuring ML Kennedy. (Originally recorded 08/08/16)

On the fifth episode of Neo Kobe Pizza, we talk about Ludonarrative Dissonance, and whether it's something that developers are largely failing at or making great strides to improve. We also touch on discussions surrounding known "offenders" in the genre, including Bioshock and most Ubisoft and Naughty Dog games, as well as those who succeed at the attempt, including Undertale and Spec Ops: The Line. Hosted by Mark B Writing, featuring Matt Yaeger. (Originally recorded 08/05/16)

On the fourth episode of Neo Kobe Pizza, we talk about DLC and Microtransactions, specifically their perception in the marketplace, cases where they're successful and fail, and games that base their business model on releasing a limited client with offers of consistent support via long-term free (or paid) DLC packages, in an attempt to figure out what the best and worst possible practices are and what, if anything, is permissible. Hosted by Mark B Writing, featuring J. Widro. (Originally recorded 07/24/16)

On the third episode of Neo Kobe Pizza, we talk about what it's like to grow up as a Francophone (French Speaking) gamer in a country (Canada) where games were, until recently, mostly released in English. We also discuss Canadian and US cultures, experience differences, and whose fault Nickleback really is. Hosted by Mark B Writing, featuring Guy Desmarais. (Originally recorded 7/18/16)

On the second episode of Neo Kobe Pizza, we talk about the Souls Series, discussing the entries in the franchise, our impressions of the best and worst entries, and what makes the games unique, for better or worse. Hosted by Mark B Writing, featuring J. Rose. NOTE: There are audio volume issues with this track, due to experimenting with tone and format; please be advised. (Originally recorded 7/7/16)

On the first episode of Neo Kobe Pizza, we talk Persona 5, from information gleaned through magazine translations and E3 presentations to speculation on likely and possible developments. Hosted by Mark B Writing, featuring Aaron Sirois. (Originally recorded 6/ 30/16)